Loki episode 4 recap: the best one yet?
Huge spoilers ahead
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- Episode 4 (of 6), ‘The Nexus Event’- Written by Eric Martin- Directed by Kate Herron★★★★★
Spoilers for the first four episodes ofLokifollow. Watch them first before reading this, and don’t miss theLoki episode 4 post-credits scene.
Once upon a time, it was easy to tell the comic book superheroes from the villains they thwarted. Sure, the good guys usually had some minor flaws to deal with, but there was never any question that the likes of Superman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman and their counterparts fought on the side of the angels.
In recent years, however, the lines between good and bad have become more blurred – Batman overstepping numerous moral boundaries in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy; Iron Man and Captain America becoming enemies in Civil War – but you could still (nearly) always tell them apart.
Loki is different. The late, great Obi-Wan Kenobi once said that “many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view,” and ‘The Nexus Event’ feels like it’s been built around that principle. It’s the culmination of four episodes where almost every major character has flirted with being heroandvillain, sometimes even in the same scene. It’s also fun and clever, and comes with some killer twists at the end – but more on that later…
One of the fundamental ideas behind Loki’s fourth outing is that one small piece of information can completely alter the way you view a character. Indeed, while on one level the episode’s title refers to a key scene on Lamentis-1, it’s also a handy catch-all term for a succession of life-changing revelations.
Last week’s bombshell that every TVA agent is a Variant plucked out of their own timeline proves particularly pivotal. For the no-nonsense Hunter B-15, it means a glimpse at an existence where she was “happy” and reason to question everything she takes for granted. In the case of the unfortunate Hunter C-20, meanwhile, impact is more tragic, as we gradually learn that her knowledge of a past life frightened the TVA management so much that they had her eliminated.
For Sylvie herself, the perception shift comes courtesy of a flashback to her childhood on Asgard. As soon as we learn she was abducted from her home as a kid (by Ravonna Renslayer, no less), she instantly shifts from antagonist to victim. Subsequent revelations that she spent her childhood on the run, growing up leaping from apocalypse to apocalypse, humanize her further, making sure you sympathize with her mission to take down the TVA 100 per cent.
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Now we’ve established they’re (probably) on the same side, Loki and Sylvie’s relationship has moved to another level – there’s even a hint of unlikely romance. This is undeniably weird, yet feels appropriate for a character as unashamedly narcissistic as the god of mischief – who else could win a Loki’s heart but a Loki?
When their shared ‘moment’ on the doomed world of Lamentis-1 creates the eponymous Nexus Event that allows the TVA to find them, the episode skirts perilously close to the ‘love is a powerful force’ trope that’s become a sci-fi cliché everywhere from Interstellar to Doctor Who. It works here, however, because it’s played for laughs, the writing team totally embracing the ridiculousness of the situation. Kudos also to the underplayed nature of their rescue.
But the real star of the episode is undoubtedly Owen Wilson’s Mobius. Seeing him verbally sparring with Loki once again, you realize just how much episode 3 missed the TVA’s biggest jet-ski aficionado – there’s no question his relationship with the god of mischief is now one ofMarvel’s greatest double-acts.
Initially hurt by Loki’s betrayal at the Roxxcart superstore (“You’re just kind of an asshole, and a bad friend”), Mobius quickly turns the tables by throwing the Asgardian into an ingenious Groundhog Day-inspired prison, where he’s forced to relive an awkward moment with Lady Sif again and again and again – a fun surprise cameo from Jaimie Alexander, reprising her role from the Thor movies.
What this big reveal means for the show – and the MCU as a whole – is anyone’s guess, but it’s an intriguing twist in a series that’s proved masterful at giving you key information at exactly the right time. And if Loki survived his own pruning, maybe there’s hope that his new pal Mobius is still out there too…
But as Mobius gradually starts to process Loki’s claims about the TVA’s questionable recruitment policies, he turns detective. Whatreallyhappened to C-20? Why does Sylvie “scare the hell” out of Renslayer? And why do the Time-Keepers want to witness Sylvie’s “pruning” for themselves? We eventually see a new side to the lifelong company man, as he steals his boss’s TemPad, and decides to join Team Loki.
Unfortunately for Mobius, we don’t get to find out if the alliance could have grown into a beautiful friendship, thanks to his Renslayer-sanctioned pruning in the series’ biggest shock moment so far. He didn’t even stick around long enough to see B-15 turn hero by freeing Loki and Sylvie, or witness the MCU’s answer to the ‘what’s behind the curtain?’ reveal in The Wizard of Oz when the Time-Keepers turn out to be robot fakes. He also missed Loki being vaporized in an epic final battle.
If there’s one thing the MCU has taught us, however, it’s that a Loki rarely stays dead for long. Here it’s mere minutes before his survival is confirmed, as a surprise scene in the closing credits shows him on the surface of a new world, face-to-face with three (maybe four…) alternative Loki Variants.
“Is this Hel? Am I dead?” he asks.
“Not yet. But you will be unless you come with us,” comes the cryptic reply from a man dressed like the comic book version of Loki.
Embark on an adventure in space and time with our recaps ofLoki: episode 1,Loki episode 2andLoki episode 3.
Verdict:
After episode 3 attracted entirely justified comparisons with Doctor Who, this week’s instalment of Loki shifts gears once again, ensuring that the most predictable thing about the show is its unpredictability.
While early episodes established Sylvie as the villain of the piece, the title of ‘antagonist in chief’ now seemingly belongs to Ravonna Renslayer – especially now the Time-Keepers have been revealed as a sham. The question is, is she working alone, or is some higher power pulling the strings? If so, how much will Renslayer divulge to Sylvie?
Just like WandaVision earlier this year, Loki revels in making you question what you think you know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, its rules may be shifting before our very eyes as episode 4 takes the show in a whole new direction.
“I think episodes 4 and 5 [are my favorites],” star Tom Hiddleston toldtheoriesbyt. “The two of them together, the whole series takes off in a direction that I certainly didn’t see coming when I read it, and I’m really excited for the audience to see it. That’s where we just expand into new territory.”
We can’t wait to find out what he means…
Marvel-ous facts
New episodes of Loki debut on Disney Plus every Wednesday.
Richard is a freelance journalist specialising in movies and TV, primarily of the sci-fi and fantasy variety. An early encounter with a certain galaxy far, far away started a lifelong love affair with outer space, and these days Richard’s happiest geeking out about Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel and other long-running pop culture franchises. In a previous life he was editor of legendary sci-fi and fantasy magazine SFX, where he got to interview many of the biggest names in the business – though he’ll always have a soft spot for Jeff Goldblum who (somewhat bizarrely) thought Richard’s name was Winter.
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